Assura : New National Disability Strategy looks at challenges for…

A series of commitments aimed at building a 'better and fairer life for all disabled people' were published last month in government's new National Disability Strategy - with visiting GP surgeries among the examples of services which can be hard to reach for some.

The new strategy, led by the Department for Work and Pensions, brings together a series of commitments informed by a national survey of more than 14,000 people.

Among the challenges noted in the strategy are 'visiting the GP surgery'. The strategy adds: 'Of those disabled people who had found difficulty accessing public buildings at least 'sometimes', about three quarters had experienced at least some difficulties accessing health services (78%)…Access to healthcare services appears to have been particularly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic - disabled people more often indicated coronavirus had affected access to healthcare for non-coronavirus related issues than non-disabled people (40% compared with 19%).'

It follows our national research with charity Dimensions to explore how primary care environments need to improve to work well for everyone, whether a disability is visible or invisible.

Download our full report
Download our easy-read report.

Our research found that:

• Just 22% of disabled patients feel independent in health centre environments
• Less than half of respondents felt toilet facilities in primary care met people's needs and Changing Places facilities were highlighted as an important adjustment, where possible
• 45% of people feel worried in primary care settings - décor, lighting, noise levels and layout can all help with this
• Environmental stressors are made worse for people with disabilities when patient care isn't supportive or respectful.

Dimensions Quality Checker, Ann McCallum, said: 'At the moment, there are people who need to get to their surgery, but they can't because of reasons that are beyond their control. I know from personal experience that people can get a fear of doctor's surgeries and hospitals - but I know that if those places could get things right for me, then I might be a bit more forthcoming. There will always be some fear, of not knowing what the tests results will say or how things will go, but it can get blown out of proportion when the whole process is difficult, from making that initial phone call, through to attending an appointment.'

Dimensions CEO, Steve Scown, said: 'This report marks an exciting new phase in the work Dimensions has led to support better outcomes for people who have a learning disability and autism in primary care. The buildings in which we all access healthcare can both help and hinder our engagement with health services and, as this report shows, it is vital that primary care buildings meet the needs of all patients.'
Our CEO, Jonathan Murphy, said: 'Our experiences of primary care buildings can have a real impact on our perceptions of care and on willingness to engage with local health services at all - and this report shows just how varied those experiences can be. The way we design and improve health spaces in our communities can play an important part in reducing health inequalities, and the learnings from Building Better Together show the scale of the change that is needed.'

Read more about Dimensions' #MyGPAndMe campaign.